B&O continues its run of well-designed headphones with the H8i and H9i, and for the most part, the audio is up to par. The volume issue with the H8i is a big sticking point for me, especially when you consider how steep the investment is there.

B&O's H9i headphones hits a high note with excellent ANC performance, premium build quality, and superb sound.

Beautiful design and premium build quality; Excellent active noise cancellation and outstanding transparency mode performance; High-end audio...

Gesture pad can be finicky on rare occasions; Can become uncomfortable after long listening sessions; No support for aptX; aptX HD; or LDAC

From an audio standpoint, the Beoplay H9i headphones are terrific, if a bit pricey. From a noise cancellation standpoint, they're not up to par with Bose, which sells the Bose QuietComfort 35 II for $150 less.

Rich bass depth matched with detailed highs; Adjustable EQ in app; Luxurious materials and lovely design; Can be used in passive, wired mode

Expensive; Noise cancellation affects audio playback and adds hiss

Few manufacturers have really mastered combining noise cancellation with Bluetooth audio like Bose has with the QuietComfort 35 II. At $499, the circumaural (over-ear) B&O Play Beoplay H9i headphones are significantly more expensive than the Bose model, not to mention B&O Play's own Beoplay H8i, an on-ear version that costs $100 less. From an audio standpoint, the H9i headphones are excellent, with adjustable EQ to fine-tune the sound signature to your taste. In terms of noise cancellation, however, there's room for improvement. Design Available in black or gray-and-tan models, the Beoplay H9i are some seriously beautiful, stylish headphones that blend Scandinavian cool and luxury. The top of the headband is covered with stitched leather with some lovely grain, the earpads are a much softer leather, and there are matte gray and silver highlights on the outer panels. The underside of the headband doesn't look like it would be nearly as comfortable as the heavily cushioned memory fo...

The handsome B&O Play Beoplay H9i headphones offer excellent audio quality in a luxurious design, but you can get better noise cancellation for less.

Rich bass depth matched with detailed highs; Adjustable EQ in app; Luxurious materials and lovely design; Can be used in passive, wired mode

Expensive; Noise cancellation affects audio playback and adds hiss

I was a little worried about testing B&O Play's Beoplay H9i, after having some misgivings about the company's smaller Beoplay H4's bass-heavy "street" sound .

Imagine that you are a professional musician about to release a new album; you've slaved for months over soundboards and equalizers, obsessing over levels and waves, re-recording, re-recording and re-recording some more.

Bang and Olufsen have updated their wireless over-ear headphone line with the Beoplay H9i. Now offering more features and better sound, these headphones are an upgrade from its previous model. They're quite an expensive pair, but hopefully justified by B&O's majestic sound quality.